Liquid impermeable vent



March 17, 1964 A. G. BARBER ETAL 3,124,828

APPLICATOR DEVICE HAVING GAS PERMEABLE LIQUID IMPERMEABLE VENT Filed Dec. 5, 1961 INVENTORS ALAN G. BARBER DAVID L.. KAYSER PAUL H. LAHR A T TORNE V United States Patent 3 12t,ti28 APFPLICATGR DEVTQE HAVTNG GAS PERMEABLE Llfillll) llvllERMEABLE VENT Alan G. Rasher and David L. Kayser, Tonawanda, and Paul H. Lahr, Eultalo, N.Y., assignors to Union Carbide Qorporation, a corporation of New Yerk Filed Dec. 5, 1961, Ser. No. 11573957 6 Claims. (6i. 15569) This invention relates to an applicator device for dispensing liquids such as floor polish and the like. I

Liquids and polishes of various types are commonly marketed in metal, plastic, or glass containers. Applicators for such liquids and polishes are normally available as independent units to be purchased separately along with a dip-pan used for soaking the applicator with the liquid. In addition to being cumbersome, such an array of devices also results in waste during application of the desired liquid. For example, in the application of floor polish, the applicator pad, usually comprising lambs wool or the like, is dipped into the polish to saturate the pad. After use the pad must be rinsed and polish is therefore wasted. Moreover, the polish application is non-uniform. Immediately after removal from the dip-pan the applicator deposits a relatively thick film, the thickness of which polish has a tendency to continuously thin out as more surface area is covered. In another common method the polish is puddled on the floor and subsequently spread out. Again waste and uneven distribution results.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide an applicator device which deposits an essentially uniform film of liquid on a given surface.

It is another object to provide an applicator device which minimizes waste of the liquid to be applied.

It is still another object to provide a polish applicator which will produce no application marks arising from an excessive use of polish.

These and other objects are accomplished by the present invention which comprises a liquid container having at least one wall which has perforations therein and an applicator pad afiixed to said wall and communicating with said container through said perforations.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with particular reference to the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is an elevation partially in section of an applicator device embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the applicator device indicated at 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, with the cover plate removed and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bottom of the applicator device shown in FIG. 1, part being broken away to show details of construction.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to FIG. 1, an applicator device ltl embodying the invention comprises a liquid container 11 provided with a rigid wall 12. The rigid wall 12 may be flat or slightly convex to assure contact with the applicator pad and ultimately the surface to which the liquid is applied. The wall 12 has perforations 13 therein and has attached thereto an applica tor pad 14. The applicator pad 14 comprises a layer of flexible, liquid permeable material 15' immediately adjacent to the wall 12 over which layer is situated a liqui. permeable fabric 16 as shown in PEG. 3.

During use of the applicator device the liquid contained in the container 11 is internally fed through the perforations 13 onto the flexible layer 15 which, in turn, distributes the liquid through the fabric 16 and onto the surface to be treated. When not in use the applicator pad 14 is usually sealed from the surroundings by a removably attached cover plate 17. The cover plate 17 is of B,i2d,328

Patented Mar. 17, 1%64:

the snap-on type as illustrated although most any other type of removably attached cover plate may be used, such as a screw-on or slide-on type arrangement.

The cover plate essentially serves two functions: (I) to seal the applicator pad, saturated with iquid, from the ambient atmosphere when not in use and (2) to seal oil the contents of the liquid container so that it is not spilled or does not slowly leak out upon storage. The second function may also be achievedby providing a separate control for opening the perforations, such as a dial or slide control located in an easily accessible place on the applicator device. Alternatively the perforations or openings may be opened or closed at will by providing pressureresponsive valves at each opening. These valves would then be opened by pressing the applicator pad against the surface to which it is desired to apply the liquid.

A fill-opening 18 is provided communicating with the liquid container ii. for filling and re-filling it. The opening is sealed by cover 21.

While some venting may take place through the perforations 13 in the container wall 12, it is preferable to provide a separate vent. This vent may comprise an opening 1h covered by a gas permeable-liquid impermeable membrane or barrier 2i such as porous wetstrength paper, coarse cotton fabric, or metal cloth, for example. The opening 19 is not covered by the applicator pad 14, and is situated near one edge of the pad so as to permit unobstructed flow of air. More over, this vent is so si uated as to remain submerged in the liquid contained in container ll when the applicator device is positioned for operation. This arrangement is best shown in FIGURES l and 2 and as shown provided for a partial venting of the container. It also regulates the internal feed of the liquid to the applicator pad. The pressure differential between the surroundings and the head space in the container is approximately the sum of the pressure drop across the membrane and the liquid head in the container. This pressure differential tends to offset the effect of the liquid head in the container and essentially reduces the liquid transport mechanism to that of capillary (or wicking) action. The resulting ilow rate is desirable from the standpoint of economy and also to avoid dripping and frothing on the surface during application. The fiow rate may be varied by varying the pressure difierential and/or by a suitable choice of the material for the layer 15 as more fully disclosed hereinafter.

The vent hole 19 does not have to be situated in the wall 12. t can be placed equally well in one of the side walls of the container near the wall 12. Alternately, the container may be suitably vented by providing a dip tube combined with the fill-opening 18, the submerged end of the dip-tube being covered with a gas permeable liquid impermeable membrane. It is preferred, however, to locate the vent in such a position where it can be conveniently sealed oil by the cover plate 17.

In order to provide means for handling the applicator device it), projections 22 are provided for pivoting a long handle such as is conventionally used in devices of this kind. The size, spacing, and arrangement of the perforations is dependent on the consistency of the liquid applied and also on the desired feed rate to the pad 14. For example, for use in the application of floor polish, a typical perforation size is about it inch in diameter, the holes being spaced at approximately l /z-inch intervals in a grid pattern.

The layer 15 must be made from a flexible or sipid material having interconnected pores. Suitable for this purpose are layers of adsorbent cotton such as cotton batting and cotton roving, open-cell polyurethane foams of the polyetser and polyether type, and the like. The thickness of the layer 15 varies with a particular intended use of the device and usually is of the order A -inch to Ai-inch. The more uneven the surface to which the liquid is to be applied, the thicker should be the layer. For the application of ioor polish on a normal floor surface, for example, a /s-inch layer of cotton roving is preferred because it gives a very uniform application with very little effort on the part of the operator. The layer 15 may be bonded to the perforated rigid container wall, which is the preferred mode of assembly with a foam layer, or it may be held firmly against said wall by the fabric layer 16 tautly stretched over the layer 15 and affixed to the container. The latter mode of assembly is preferred when adsorbent cotton layers are employed.

The fabric layer 16 serves substantially as the final distributing means on the applicator device since it comes directly in contact with the surface to which the liquid is applied. Many fabrics may be used for this purpose, knit fabrics being preferred because of optimum performance, better appearance, ease of assembling, and minimum interference with the sealing surface of the cover plate 17 when attached. Knit cotton and also terry cloth have been found to be particularly well suited fabrics.

A number of applicators embodying the invention and of the construction illustrated have been made and tested. These tests have demonstrated the economy made possible by the applicators constructed and the superiority of the polish applications attained thereby. In all the tests the amount of polish required for a satisfactory application to a given area was about one-third or less of the amount necessary for a similar application with a conventional applicator pad of the lambs wool type. The appearance and wear of the applied coatings with the instant device were superior or equal to those applied with the conventional applicator. Typical performance tests are given as follows:

Test I A kitchen and bathroom floor were cleaned and then polished by both the conventional method and again at a later date with the instant applicator device having an applicator pad comprising a terry cloth-backed foam layer. Six ounces of a floor polish were required to cover the floors when a conventional applicator was used by comparison to only 2 ounces of the same polish with the instant device. The floor was marbleized, block, asphaltic tile, of about 120 square feet total. Using the device of this invention drying time was reduced from 30 to minutes or less and the gloss was improved, application required less than half the time, and there was less tendency to scuff. The relative service life was equivalent with both methods of application.

Test II Marbleized, brown, asphaltic tile in a basement playroom was-used for a more extensive test. Two hundred square feet were coated with a floor polish formulation in the applicator device of this invention having an applicator pad comprising terry cloth-backed foam layer and a similar two hundred square feet were coated with a lambs wool pad dipped into the same formulation contained in a paint roller panexcess polish was squeezed out. Only 112 grams of floor polish were needed with the container-applicator as compared to 480 grams consumed when the conventional lambs wool pad was used. Drying time was much faster, about ten minutes in unventilated basement for the thinner coating as compared to forty minutes with the thicker, conventional coating. The instant applicator device did the job in half the time; it was easier to slide over the floor, and there was no tendency to show application marks. Dribrite gloss was better for the thinner coat and it was just as durable.

Test Ill Solid black and solid white rubber-asbestos test panels in the laboratory were used to compare the present ap- An applicator device having an applicator pad comprising a knit cotton mesh backed with a layer of ad sorbent cotton was used to wax square feet of marbleized asphalt tile floor. 82 grams of wax were consumed which is equivalent to 0.86 g. of wax per square foot of floor. The fioor exhibited excellent gloss and the application was deemed satisfactory.

The foregoing description of the applicator device is merely illustrative and it is to be understood that many changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. An applicator device for dispensing liquids which comprises a container adapted to hold a liquid and having one perforated wall; an applicator pad coextensive with said perforated wall and communicating with said container through said perforated wall; and a vent provided in an opening in the container, normally submerged in said liquid, maintaining a pressure differential between the surroundings and the head space of the container sufficient to offset substantially the effect of the liquid head in the container, and comprising a gas permeableliquid impermeable membrane integrally affixed around the perimeter of said opening in said container.

2. An applicator device for dispensing liquids which comprises a container adapted to hold a liquid and having one perforated wall; an applicator pad coextensive with said perforated wall and communicating with said container through said perforated wall; a cover plate removably attached over the applicator pad and adapted to seal off substantially said applicator pad from ambient atmosphere; and a vent provided in an opening in the container, normally submerged in said liquid, maintaining a pressure differential sufficient to offset substantially the effect of the liquid head in the container, and comprising a gas permeable-liquid impermeable membrane integrally affixed around the perimeter of said opening in said container.

3. An applicator device for dispensing liquids which comprises a container adapted to hold a liquid and having one perforated wall for the dispensing of liquid therethrough and having a vent opening therein; an applicator pad coextensive with said perforated wall and communicating with said container through said perforated wall; a cover plate removably attached over the applicator pad and adapted to seal off substantially said applicator pad from ambient atmosphere; and a vent situated in said perforated wall near one edge of said applicator pad, normally submerged in said liquid, maintaining a pressure differential between the surroundings and the head space of the container sufficient to offset substantially the effect of the liquid head in the container, and comprising a gas permeable-liquid impermeable membrane integrally affixed around the perimeter of the vent opening in said perforated wall.

4. An applicator device for dispensing liquids which comprises a container adapted to hold a liquid and having one perforated wall; an applicator pad coextensive with said perforated wall, communicating with said container through said perforated wall, and consisting of a layer of open-cell, flexible polyurethane foam bonded to said perforated wall and a layer of fabric bonded to said foam; a cover plate removably attached over the applicator pad and adapted to seal off substantially said applicator pad from ambient atmosphere; and a vent provided in an opening in the container, normally submerged in said liquid, maintaining a pressure differential between the surroundings and the head space of the container sufficient to offset substantially the effect of the liquid head in the container, and comprising a gas permeable-liquid impermeable membrane integrally aflixed around the perimeter of said opening in said container.

5. An applicator device as defined by claim 4 wherein said fabric is knit cotton.

6. An applicator device as defined by claim 4 wherein said fabric is terry cloth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Rees Nov. 4, 1941 Nimrick Aug. 10, 1943 Brady et al. July 1, 1947 Murren June 5, 1956 Harvey Apr. 23, 1957 Imhof Mar. 21, 1961 Vogt May 23, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Mar. 14, 1959 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Plastics, volume 32, pages 102-104, August 

1. AN APPLICATOR DEVICE FOR DISPENSING LIQUIDS WHICH COMPRISES A CONTAINER ADAPTED TO HOLD A LIQUID AND HAVING ONE PERFORATED WALL; AN APPLICATOR PAD COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID PERFORATED WALL AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CONTAINER THROUGH SAID PERFORATED WALL; AND A VENT PROVIDED IN AN OPENING IN THE CONTAINER, NORMALLY SUBMERGED IN SAID LIQUID, MAINTAINING A PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN THE SURROUNDINGS AND THE HEAD SPACE OF THE CONTAINER SUFFICIENT TO OFFSET SUBSTANTIALLY THE EFFECT OF THE LIQUID HEAD IN THE CONTAINER, AND COMPRISING A GAS PERMEABLELIQUID IMPERMEABLE MEMBRANE INTEGRALLY AFFIXED AROUND THE PERIMETER OF SAID OPENING IN SAID CONTAINER. 